Nottingham Panthers head coach Corey Neilson thanked fans for their show of appreciation before reflecting on defeat to Sheffield Steelers in a game he felt was played under ‘prison rules’.

Panthers were beaten 3-2 by their arch at a sold out Motorpoint Arena on Saturday night. Before the game, Neilson was presented with two shirts signed by fans in recognition of his 12 years with the club before he leaves at the end of the season.

“That was amazing. There’s so many great people around here,” he said.

“We’ve given them great memories over the years. The fact they did that for me was pretty special and I’ll remember it positively.”

Panthers twice battled back to equalise but paid the price for conceding two poor goals in the opening two periods.